The Degrees Of A Scale – Lesson #1

This week I would like to review the degrees of a scale. Now, this is with the assumption that everyone generally understands that scales exist and scales are made up of notes. Each scale includes seven notes, eight if you include the root note played one octave higher. Since each note has a pitch when it is played, a numbering system was created so that each note of the scale could be identified quickly. See the C Major scale as an example:

The degrees are formal names that are applied the the numbering system and are a more accepted way of identifying the interval.